The Things we Left Behind
by IrishNun
Summary: It was rare that Cas got the truth when he asked Dean how he was. He was usually met with a joke and a smile. But today, in this diner, the truth was told and a promise was made. Now was the time for the promise to be fulfilled or broken. My version of what happened as the credits rolled in episode 9, series 10.


Title: The Things we Left Behind

Summary: It was rare that Cas got the truth when he asked Dean how he was. He was usually met with a joke and a smile. But today, in this diner, the truth was told and a promise was made. Now was the time for the promise to be fulfilled or broken. My version of what happened as the credits rolled in episode 9, series 10.

Words: 812

**SN**

They had only left him for a moment. Twenty seconds, maybe, but not a second more.

They heard thumps and crashes, shouts and scratches.

They feared the worse when they ran back onto the living room floor.

The men were heaped everywhere. Limbs were broken. Blood pooled underneath them and began to seep through the floorboards. Claire screamed at the sight. Her father pulled her into him, shielding her eyes from the mayhem.

Dean was kneeling in the middle of the room covered in other peoples' blood with a blade in his right hand. Sam slide in front of him and held his brothers face in his hands. "Dean, tell me you had to do this." Dean woke from his trance. His eyes looked to Sam's. "I did... I didn't mean to," Dean mumbled trying to make sense of what happened. "No, tell me it was them or you," Sam voice got a little louder. But Dean couldn't answer that and they both knew it.

Cas walked his crying daughter to the back seat of the Impala. Her body began shivering when she sat in. He took off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. He had seen that once in a movie. "What just happened?" she whispered through her tears. "What happened?" Cas knelt down in front of her and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I don't know," he half told the truth. "But I'm going to fix it." Then he reached out and tapped her shoulder twice. "There, there." He had seen that once in a movie too.

When he was back in the house, Sam was in the kitchen soaking a tea cloth under the tap. It didn't make sense to clean Dean's wounds. He didn't have any. But it seemed that Sam was in just as much shock as Claire was. Cas walked up to where Dean still kneeled and easily took the knife away from him. The blade and handle were covered in blood and slide under Cas' hand. He wiped the handle and his hand in his shirt to get a better grip.

"What are you doing?" Sam was now standing at the doorway of the room, the tea cloth dripping onto his shoes.

"I'm keeping a promise I made," Cas mumbled as Dean looked up at him. His eyes slowly focused on the man standing in front of him and watered when he remembered the promise he requested. He nodded once as a single tear dropped down his cheek.

Sam dropped the cloth and screamed at the sight. He charged at Cas and smashed him into the wall. One, two, three times, he threw his fists into Cas' face. The third one being the hardest forcing a tooth to fly from Cas' mouth. Sam only stopped when he heard a gurgle sound. He ran back to his brother. Blood was gushing everywhere. His throat was cut so deep, Sam was afraid to cover it. He held his brothers face. "You didn't have to do this," his baby brother cried. Cas retrieved his tooth and put it in his pocket. "I had to..." but Sam cut him off with a scream. "GET OUT!" His voice bellowed through the empty house.

Cas nodded and threw the knife away. He wanted to say he was sorry. He wanted to tap his friend's shoulder twice. He wanted to make it better. But he had been around humans long enough to know not to interfere when they are angry and grieving.

When Sam was finally alone, he could do no more. His brother had died quickly, Cas made sure of that. He slid his hand out from under Dean's head and let it fall on the floor. His body lay twisted now with his feet still tucked back underneath. Sam pulled his bloody hand through his long hair. "You didn't have to do this..." He covered his eyes with his free hand and cried into it loudly. He stopped quickly with a gulp and did what he had set out to do, clean his big brothers face and take him home.

He crawled over to the cloth and pulled out a corner. He cleaned his brothers' face as best he could and gently closed over his eyes. Again, he cried loudly. So many times, he had seen his brother die but this time was different. This time, he knew Cas was telling the truth. Dean wanted this. He didn't want to have black eyes again. He didn't want to go through a killing and not have any recollection of it after. He wanted to be in control of his life. He wanted to be in control of his destiny. But the Mark was changing him. Sam knew it. Cas knew it. And, deep down, Dean knew it too.

"But still..." Sam whispered. "You didn't have to do this."

**SN**


End file.
